O'Farrell CSG ban a 'political fix' say Greens

Updated
February 19, 2013 13:22:00

The NSW Government is moving to placate community concern about the coal seam gas industry, imposing a two kilometre buffer around residential areas along plus tougher rules. But the Greens and independent MP Tony Windsor dismiss it as a cynical political fix for the Coalition in western Sydney seats. Mr Windsor is vowing to continue his push for Commonwealth intervention to impose stricter environmental standards.

EMILY BOURKE: The New South Wales Government is moving to allay community fears about coal seam gas projects by imposing a two kilometre buffer around residential areas and tougher rules.

But the Greens have dismissed the move as a cynical political fix for western Sydney, and a way to help Tony Abbott in this year's Federal Election.

The Greens' Leader Christine Milne says all governments should put an end to the coal seam gas industry.

In the meantime, federal independent MP Tony Windsor says Premier O'Farrell's move does nothing to assuage his concerns, and he's vowing to continue to push for Commonwealth intervention to impose stricter environmental standards.

From Canberra, Alexandra Kirk reports.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: Coal seam gas projects will be banned from populated areas in New South Wales. Premier Barry O'Farrell's been under pressure to act with a concerted community campaign, lobbying from the Federal Coalition and the Gillard Government's threat of Commonwealth intervention.

BARRY O'FARRELL: What we did last September was put in place for the first time in New South Wales tough regulations around coal seam gas activities. What we've done overnight, what's been recommended to the joint party room, are further changes to pick up community concerns to ensure that a coal seam gas industry in New South Wales does not adversely impact upon either residential areas or other parts of our environment.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: The new regulations include a two kilometre buffer, or exclusion zone, around all residential areas for coal seam gas exploration and production. The environment protection agency will regulate the industry with the chief scientist and engineer to audit all activities, including the effect on water catchment areas.

RUSSELL MATHESON: Barry O'Farrell has taken one giant leap forward in relation to extraction of gas under people's homes and under schools and I congratulate him on that, that he has listened to the community.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: He says it's not clear how much protection the "no go zones" will deliver.

LAURIE FERGUSON: The area most deeply short term affected is the Scenic Hills. It has been an area that the Campbelltown council has always treated, and local residents. If there is one large four acre property close to Scenic Hills, are very few others immediately nearby, is that area actually protected?

Experts - and I'm not one of them, and neither is Mr O'Farrell, say that the hydrogeology is not well known enough, the predictability of these things. So perhaps the real issue is whether there'll be a moratorium full stop.

CHRISTINE MILNE: Why would you believe the New South Wales Government would do anything on environmental protection? These are the people who have facilitated massive coal seam gas permits to date.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: Greens leader Christine Milne is sceptical.

CHRISTINE MILNE: It's actually a cynical political fix for Western Sydney, that abandons Penny Blatchford and the Moree Plains, the Liverpool Plains, the Gloucester Valley, the dairy farms on the northern rivers. What is does is just say we need to give Tony Abbott cover for Western Sydney.

Make no mistake - this is a big win for the activist community because it's the first domino to fall in the coal seam gas industry and we will be out there working with the farmers and the community to push those dominos and knock the whole thing over.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: The Federal Opposition's resources spokesman, Ian Macfarlane, has been urging the New South Wales Government to follow Queensland and set up a two kilometre buffer zone.

IAN MACFARLANE: The coal seam industry in New South Wales has to proceed if New South Wales is not to run out of gas, but it can only proceed on the basis that the community is prepared to have a coexistence with it.

These rules that have been handed down, particularly the two kilometre buffer around towns and also of course around industries like the horse industry will do a lot to ease the community friction and allow the coal seam industry to move forward.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: Just after federal independent MP Tony Windsor demanded Commonwealth intervention to impose tougher standards, the Federal Environment Minister, Tony Burke, warned he was considering his power to intervene.

The Minister wrote to Premier O'Farrell two weeks ago, demanding he reconsider coal seam gas exploration and production near residential areas.

Today Mr Burke says the reports of New South Wales' proposed regulations are encouraging but he'll now work through the details to check what level of protection will be provided.

Tony Windsor though is undeterred. He says the New South Wales plan does nothing to placate people's concerns about water and the effect on aquifers.

TONY WINDSOR: It really does nothing other than buy some security, political security, in Western Sydney. There's a number of issues that need to be addressed here and I'll be pushing harder than ever now to make sure that the Commonwealth actually put a water trigger in place under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

I think it's needed more than ever, particularly given the lack of objectivity in terms of this process.

ALEXANDRA KIRK: Do you think the will is there from the Federal Government to impose or to intervene?

TONY WINDSOR: I think there is the will there to do that, but that'll get tested...

ALEXANDRA KIRK: Only because you've demanded it.

TONY WINDSOR: Well the community have demanded it and I, hopefully, have been a bit of a vehicle for that. But I think Minister Burke and the Prime Minister herself are becoming much more aware of the concerns, the legitimate concerns about the lack of objective science in terms of these things now.

It's all very well for Mr Hartcher to say oh we'll have the chief scientist wander around and oversee these things - what sort of process is that? We need an appropriate process, which can only be done through via regional assessment.